Lawyers’ Committee Decries Senate Vote on the Nomination of Debo P. Adegbile to Serve as Assistant Attorney General

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Following today's failed Senate cloture vote to proceed to the nomination of Debo P. Adegbile as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers' Committee) released the statement below:

The Lawyers’ Committee and its eight affiliated Local Committees have been and continue to be ardent supporters of Mr. Adegbile’s nomination and believe his legal expertise, leadership skills, and dedication to upholding the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans would have be an invaluable asset to the Civil Rights Division.

“Today’s vote is deeply disappointing not only for the civil rights community but for every American,” stated Lawyers’ Committee President and Executive Director Barbara Arnwine. “We have had the privilege of working with Debo over the years and have come to respect him as a leader of profound intelligence and integrity.

Today’s vote reflects a larger and extremely troubling attack on civil rights taking place on the Senate floor and Capitol Hill. The day that a nominee of this caliber is blocked for supporting voting rights, diversity programs in higher education, and the equal protection of all citizens in the criminal justice system, signals a moment in our history that we as Americans must take a hard look at the direction we as a democracy are headed.”

“The politicization and misrepresentation of a nominee of such integrity, commitment and promise should signal us all to take pause and evaluate the cautionary tale unfolding before us,” stated Lawyers’ Committee Public Policy Director Tanya Clay House. “Today’s vote was reprehensible but not irreversible and I remain hopeful that once the Senate has taken the opportunity to understand the magnitude of their actions today they will vote to confirm this civil rights leader.”

About the Lawyers’ Committee?The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. We celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2013 and continue our quest of “Moving America Toward Justice.”

The principal mission of the Lawyers' Committee is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice under law, particularly in the areas of fair housing and fair lending; community development; employment; voting; education and environmental justice. For more information about the Lawyers’ Committee, visit www.lawyerscommittee.org